Surviving a Hard Drive Crash, the Mayan Apocalypse, and Other Disasters

In an effort to send out more self-absorbed tweets, last Friday I tweeted that the hard drive on my work computer had crashed. None of my files were recoverable. I’m sure you paused for a moment of silence.

At least the Mayan Apocalypse has a date. Not so with the impending Zombie Apocalypse. Despite the dire warnings from various movies and video games over the years, we still don’t know exactly when this will occur. It looms over us waiting, watching … just like your next hard drive crash.

I count myself lucky—this is only the second hard drive I’ve lost in 17 years of owning a computer. (The first was actually my fault … I ran an older version of Norton Utilities that wasn’t compatible with my current OS.) Fortunately, I’ve always been diligent about backing up. Ten years ago, storage was expensive, so anytime I completed a significant amount of work for a client, I copied the files to one of the multiple Zip discs I kept on hand. Once the job was finished, I archived everything to CD-ROM.

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I lost one file in that first crash. This time around I wasn’t so lucky. My most important files were stored on a cloud server. But others were backed up on a network drive which I didn’t have set up with a regular, automated backup—I used the drag-and-drop method. Unfortunately, the last time I remembered to “drag-and-drop” was two months ago. So in the spirit of closing the barn door after the horse has escaped, I started looking into an automated process. In case you don’t know, there are three basic types: disk imaging, file-based, and file synchronization.

Disk Imaging

Even though IT re-installed the OS and the majority of my software, I spent most of Monday changing defaults settings, reconfiguring my Outlook email rules, re-bookmarking my most-used websites, and adding people back into my contact list. (Even the toolbars in Word and Excel reverted to their defaults.) With a disk image backup, none of that would have been necessary. It backs up the complete contents and file structure of your hard drive, allowing for a rapid full-system restore of your entire operating system and all your software, preferences, and settings.

File-Based Backup

A File-Based backup is simply a mirror image of the files on your hard drive, or in a particular folder or set of folders. This is how I backed up my work files. Like I said, I used the “drag-and-drop” method, but there are literally thousands of software applications to automate this. Most allow you to do incremental backups—meaning only files that have been changed since the last backup are included.

File Synchronization

Technically, File Synchronization is not a backup method, but you get the same end-result, plus the added benefit of being able to work on the same set of files in different locations. File Synchronization is how services like Dropbox work. With a backup, you have a “source” and a “destination.” But file synchronization involves two or more sources, such as two computers. Files changed on any one of the computers will be reflected on the other(s). Tools like Microsoft SyncToy allow you to set up a one-way sync, which functions more like a true file-based backup.

Utilizing Cloud Backup Services

In September 2011, Tropical Storm Lee caused New York’s Susquehanna River to rise 11 feet above flood level, forcing 20,000 residents in the Binghamton, N.Y., area to evacuate. Our sales office, including all computers, files and backups were lost.

You can use any of the three methods to backup to an external or network drive, but it still won’t protect you from theft or natural disaster. That’s where a cloud backup service can give you an extra layer of protection.

Just as different marketing methods have their strengths and weaknesses, the same holds true with local vs. cloud backups. The biggest downside is, unless you have a robust Internet connection, backing up and restoring your data can be time-consuming. That’s why many companies employ a hybrid of local and online backups.

Former owner and partner of web firm Jenesis Technologies, John is currently Director of Digital Strategy at Haines Local Search, a company providing local search marketing solutions to SMBs, including print and Internet Yellow Pages, web design, and local SEO. When not working or spending time with his family, John offers great sales and marketing advice on his blog, Small Business Marketing Sucks.
When not working or spending time with his family, John offers great sales and marketing advice on his blog, Small Business Marketing Sucks.